Glenugie Coal Seam Gas Protesters in Grafton Court

Eighteen persons charged with offences associated with the protest against Coal Seam Gas at the Glenugie site to the south of Grafton appeared in Grafton Local Court today. Pleas of not guilty were entered in relation to the vast majority of the charges.

Protester Benny Zable

It was somewhat ironic that an over-full court house necessitated about a dozen of the accused persons to be seated in the jury box. Supporters of the protesters packed the court room to the rafters; both the ground floor and upper level public galleries were chock-a-block with a crowd estimated to be about 100.

Magistrate David Heilpern ordered the prosecution to prepare briefs of evidence in relation to the accused persons by Monday 4th March and adjourned the matters until Monday 11th March at the Grafton Court when they will be listed for mention. The Magistrate excused those with legal representation from appearing in person on March 11th.

Most of the defendants' court appearances were relatively brief. However, two had somewhat lengthier appearances. 

John Wyborn, who appeared in custody as a consequence of refusing to sign bail forms, was released after Magistrate Heilpern acknowledged the protest site at Glenugie was no longer active and revised Wyborn's bail conditions.

Another protester Benny Zable, who represented himself, told the court the charges were lies and distortions and he had DVD evidence to support his claims. He told the court that he is a performance artist with performances existing on the world stage and the charges were damaging his work.

Magistrate Heilpern explained to Zable how he (Zable) could make representation to the police to have the charges against him dropped. However, Magistrate Heilpern advised Zable to obtain legal advice about taking that course of action and providing the DVD evidence to the prosecution because it could impact detrimentally on other matters associated with the protesters that are before the court.

Does the Grafton office of the NSW Environmental Protection Agency have poor communication skills or was it being obstructive?

 

In a letter to the editor published by The Daily Examiner on 12 January 2013 Michael Franklin of Glenugie complained:

As a local landowner and cattle producer located on the head of the Coldstream River, I have become concerned about CSG extraction. Albeit the current drilling process is downstream of my location, I consider it is relevant that I express my concerns with the current activities regarding CSG extraction in our local area, as I believe the drilling for CSG will expand in this area and eventually have a far greater impact on local landowners in the Clarence.

Recently I paid a visit to the Grafton EPA Office to source information and documented protocols that I assumed would be in place regarding CSG extraction. I was informed by the local EPA that CSG extraction was signed off in Sydney and that it has nothing to do with me. I was provided no information and left their office in total disbelief.

What government agency is overseeing the CSG extraction process?

And where do we as local landowners locate information regarding to our rights?

 

If Michael is correct in how he remembers his conversation with the Grafton office of the NSW Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), then that agency was less than forthcoming.

 

It would have cost local staff little in time or effort to point him in the direction of Metgasco’s 2010 REVIEW OF ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS – a public document which sets out the proposed exploration drilling program for PEL 426 and one which should be on record with the EPA as the Department of Trade and Investment, Regional Infrastructure and Services refers environmental impact assessments associated with CSG exploration to the EPA for comment.

 

In addition, under provisions of the Protection of the Environment Operations Act if Metgasco commences commercial production it will probably have to hold an environment protection licence which would be administered by the EPA.

EPA staff could also have referred Michael to the agency’s own coal seam gas webpage or the Department of Trade and Investment, Regional Infrastructure and Services.

Balfastards All!

People of the NSW Northern Rivers don't need any extra words to go with this pic - it shows BALFASTARDS ALL! 

A tick of approval for Northern Rivers folk

 
Letter to the Editor in The Daily Examiner  6 February 2013:

Thanks, Yamba

I would really appreciate if you would afford me a few lines to thank a few people in the Yamba area following an accident that my son, Charlie aged 10 years, suffered a couple of weeks ago.
My family and I first started coming to Yamba about 10 years ago.
At first it was just a stopover visit on the way to the Gold Coast but from the moment we stayed our first night in Yamba we knew that it was a special place that hopefully one day we could call home. We have been coming here for three weeks in January ever since, never missing a year. A recent bit of misfortune highlighted some of the reasons why we think this town is special and why we will keep coming back.
Our son Charlie, who is 10, was hit by a car after only a couple of days of being here on holiday in Yamba. He sustained a broken tibia and fibula in his right leg. He was immediately taken by ambulance to Maclean Hospital from where he was taken to Lismore Base Hospital for emergency surgery.
With Charlie not being able to travel back to our home town of Bourke after a couple of days at Lismore Hospital we returned to our holiday destination Yamba for the remainder of our holiday, with Charlie bedridden for the first week before being able to get about in a wheelchair.
The great work done by the local ambulance officers and police officers at the scene was terrific. The care and attention that we got from both Maclean and Lismore Hospital was exceptional. On returning to Yamba and where we were staying at the Moby Dick Resort, the managers Rod and Leanne and the owners, Russell and Belinda, have been nothing short of amazing with Charlie and all our efforts in looking after him.
Rodney and all his staff at BP servo and all shop owners as well as many locals have been very supportive; often going out of their way to help us and make Charlie's holiday enjoyable!
You have a very unique and friendly town with some VERY SPECIAL people in it. We look forward to many many more visits and one day a more permanent move from Bourke to Yamba.

Tanya Farrell

Bourke

 

Lock The Gate: Another Northern Rivers MP steps up to the plate

 

The Northern Star 4 February 2013

 

______________________

 

Richmond MP Justine Elliot says she has relinquished her role as Parliamentary Secretary for Trade as it conflicted with her fight to stop coal seam gas mining on the North Coast.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced that Ms Elliot was stepping down from the position on Saturday during the press conference in which she also announced that Attorney-General Nicola Roxon and Leader of The Government in the Senate Chris Evans would not contest the next election.

Ms Elliot was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Trade after the last election.

 

________________________

 

"I'll always stand up for locals on the issues that are important to us, like calling for a moratorium on CSG mining in our region," she said.

"In contrast, all the National Party MPs and candidates on the North Coast support harmful CSG mining in our area.

Mrs Elliot said it was time to draw a line in the sand on the environmental issue of CSG mining.

"We know the community's view," she said.

"It is clear.

"Our community does not want CSG mining.

"I call on the National Party state MPs to tell the O'Farrell government that our community demands a moratorium on CSG.

__________________________

 

Coal Seam Gas: NE Queensland and Northern NSW on the international stage

http://youtu.be/amyJVu34G3w

Truth in advertising and the coal seam gas industry

 

So confident is the coal seam gas industry of widespread political support across all three tiers of government and  so certain of the fickle attention span of the mainstream media, that its spokespeople knowingly utter falsehoods as easily as they breathe in and out.

 

They film an industry employee on land they don't have permission to enter in an effort to mislead the general public into believing that the employee is a farmer standing on his own land extolling the virtues of coal seam gas.

 

They make a blatantly false statement in print that has to be rebutted by CSIRO scientists:

 

CSIRO rejects claims made by APPEA regarding groundwater and coal seam gas

 

CSIRO rejects the claim made in a television commercial aired on Sunday 2 September that ‘CSIRO [and government studies] have shown that groundwater is safe with coal seam gas’.

• 4 September 2012

At no time has CSIRO made such a statement, and nor do the results of CSIRO research support such a statement.

CSIRO continues to undertake research to better understand the impacts of coal seam gas extraction on groundwater quality and quantity.

CSIRO has stated on the public record that coal seam gas extraction is likely to pose a ‘low risk’ to groundwater quality through contamination. CSIRO has also indicated that groundwater levels will fall as a consequence of coal seam gas extraction. In some places this could see aquifer levels subside by tens of metres for tens of years; in others it is likely to reduce aquifer levels by several metres for several hundred years.

CSIRO continues to undertake research to better understand the impacts of coal seam gas extraction on groundwater quality and quantity.

CSIRO became aware of the advertisement produced by Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association (APPEA) via a scan of social media on Friday 31 August and requested for the commercial to not be aired.

 

Because of this whatever-it-takes business culture which is loose with the truth, one has to question copies of print advertising the industry has displayed on one of its websites www.wewantcsg.com.au.

 

Who is this woman pictured below? Does she really come from Casino on the NSW North Coast? Is she a genuine school teacher or is she an industry employee or even a paid advertsing model? Is she related to someone who works for a mining company? Is she on the staff of a politician who is pro-coal seam gas?
Does she really want CSG?

Perhaps an NCV reader can answer these questions.